Hawke's Bay Artificial Reefs

What started as something potentially negative has morphed into a huge win for Hawkes Bay anglers and divers. Grant Dixon reports on the establishment of two Hawkes Bay artificial reefs.

In 2018, the Napier Port sought resource consent to build a new 350-metre container wharf – 6 WHARF – including permission to undertake a significant dredging programme, sparking concerns as to the possible effects the dumping of 1.2 million cubic metres of material four kilometres east of the port might have.

The potential silting effects on nearby Pania and Town reefs, both popular recreational fishing and diving locations, were of particular concern.

At the recent NZ Sport Fishing Council’s (NZSFC) annual conference, LegaSea Hawkes Bay (LHB) representatives Wayne Bicknell and John Stewart explained how they ‘pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat’, ending up with not one but two artificial reefs.

“We were contemplating an appeal to the Environmental Court after the independent commissioner decided to approve the resource application, as there were several issues we felt had not been adequately addressed,” John says.

LHB took advice from the NZSFC, LegaSea National, and legal counsel Stuart Ryan. Napier Port was aware of LHB’s intentions, calling an urgent meeting on the eve of the last day to launch an appeal.

“The Hawkes Bay Regional Council, as the then owners of the port, were about to list the port company on the NZ Stock Exchange to raise $170 million for the project – the last thing they wanted were any delays.”

There were 20 loads of rock, totalling approximately 24,000 tonnes, redeployed from the Napier port redevelopment to create a new reef in 22 metres of water.

Four key assurances

“To their credit, Napier Port came to the meeting with the right attitude and, after some intense discussions, gave LHB four principal assurances.”

These included increased levels of monitoring of turbidity during dredging; guaranteeing LHB three representatives on the Fisheries Liaison Group to monitor environmental issues and have input in various management plans; a commitment to sponsoring local recreational fishing events for a period of five years; and the creation of an artificial reef for recreational fishing, subject to obtaining the appropriate consents.

Material for the reef would come from repurposing an estimated 20,000 cubic metre revetment wall at the port that was surplus to requirements. That rock was previously intended to be taken offsite and disposed of.

“Naturally, we were ecstatic with the outcome and decided not to proceed with an appeal, entering a Heads of Agreement signed by Napier Port, HBRC and NZSFC on LHB’s behalf.”

All stakeholders were involved in the consultative process, including mana whenua, the Department of Conservation, Napier City Council, commercial fishers, HBRC and the Napier Port Fisheries Liaison Group.

“We were consulted first and, given that one of the criteria for the creation of the reef system was that it was not to be more the five nautical miles from the port, we recommended a site approximately 1.5km northeast of Pania Reef in 22 metres of water. This site would complement and take some fishing and diving pressure off Pania (reef).”

LHB was keen to see a minimum of two loads of rock be dropped offshore at the Gwen B wreck, which lay in 55 metres of water in the area known as the Northern Springs.

“We were aware this was beyond the five-mile restriction and presented some logistical issues as it would be a 12-hour round trip to the site and back. We were delighted when Napier Port agreed to include this in the consent application.”

There was unanimous support for the reef creations, with consent granted in November 2019.

The first load of limestone rock was deposited on a barren sea floor on July 2, 2020; the last load dumped on April 11, 2021. There were 20 loads all up - approximately 24,000 tonnes of rock - creating a reef that measures roughly 300m x 300m in area, rising to three metres in height. The fact that some of the rock had already been underwater at the port site gave the reef a head start.

A video screened at the AGM showed that in a short 12 months or so, the reef has been well-populated by several fish species, marine growth, mussels, and crayfish. The deep holes created by the large rocks were perfect crayfish country and provided shelter for smaller reef species.

A second reef at the Gwen B wreck site was created in a single day, January 28 2021.

“Much planning went into getting this site off the ground due to the distance offshore – a 12-hour round trip for the barge and tug – to dump 1,200 tonnes of rock. We felt we might not pull this off at times, so we were ecstatic when we got the news it was underway.”

A recent depth sounder screenshot taken from Wayne Bicknell’s boat shows this reef has already attracted plenty of ‘tenants’ and will be a popular fishing spot in due course.

It has not taken long for the crayfish to make the nooks and crannies created by the rocks in their new home.

Job not over yet

With the two reefs physically established, LHB might be forgiven for thinking the job was done, but not so.

They are working with mana whenua to provide ongoing seeding and monitoring. An application has been lodged with the Ministry for Primary Industries for a Customary Research Grant. The project, named Te Kohanga, focuses on monitoring, nurturing and growing biogenic habitat over the new reef. It has two key elements – pre and post-reef creation; and habitat advancement.

The latter involves creating and installing up to 12 kouka spat ropes – weaved locally from cabbage tree (kouka) flax – that will be suspended over the reef to support green-lipped mussels (kuku) and kelp. These two are fast establishers and will support the growth of a more diverse range of species enabling the reef to establish itself quicker.

Having completed the reef construction job, Napier Port has also put up $20,000 to support the monitoring/establishment work. LHB will contribute $5000 cash and provide logistic support for divers and the transport of materials, with many of its team keen to help and make their boats available.

The first step to protecting the new reef will be to work with mana whenua to give it Rāhui status for two years. An application is expected to be lodged in the immediate future and will allow the reef a period to establish itself.

Nearby Pania Reef currently has mataitai reserve status, and stakeholders believe the new reef should be accorded the same protection. Work will start on this once the rahui is in place.

John says the key to the project’s success was “a remarkable partnership between the various stakeholders, working together to ensure minimal impact on the marine environment.

“It is extremely pleasing that this $170 million project (6 Wharf has been completed on time, under budget, and has conformed to all consents. And importantly, we now have two new reefs to boot.”

December 2022 - Grant Dixon
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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